Thank you to all of the witnesses. This is a real privilege to have this opportunity to speak with you. I would also like to acknowledge that we are on Algonquin traditional territory. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to represent them in the House of Commons.
I'd like, first, to congratulate Mr. Nitah and his community's inspiring leadership around Thaidene Nëné. I appreciate that this is a project that was the twinkle in the eye of federal civil servants way back when, but it wasn't until there was real community leadership from Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation that we really saw this move forward. That's because, at the end of the day, it has to be the indigenous peoples who drive this forward, who determine that they want this for their own reasons—and in this, I think you are right, that co-management is a huge part of it.
I'd also like to quickly thank you for allowing me to spend time in your homeland. It's because of the nine days of solo canoeing with my wife there that I got her blessing to represent Pontiac and to move forward with the political project, so it's been a really important aspect of my life that I owe to your community.
I'd also like to mention that I really do hope that the Algonquin Nation in western Quebec can learn from the experience of the the Lutsel K'e Dene First Nation, and I hope to be able to build upon that with you going forward.
The idea of uniting around an approach toward reconciliation that is premised on conservation, on cultural preservation, on economic development achieved through co-management of some protected areas is a fabulous idea. I really hope that we can build on that.
Earlier we spoke with our witnesses about the idea of a national conservation body that would bring together federal, provincial, municipal, and indigenous groups to advise on a whole-of-Canada approach.